Wolf Island
Encyclopedia
Wolf Island or Wenman Island is a small island in the Galapagos Islands
and was named after the German
geologist
Theodor Wolf
, who also has the volcano Wolf on Isabela Island named after him. It has an area of 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 253 m (830 ft).
The island is remote from the main island group and has no permanent population, the Galapagos National Park does not allow landing on the island, however it is a popular diving location. It was previously called Wenman Island.
and Cocos
tectonic plates. Like its near neighbour Darwin Island
, Wolf Island is upstream of the magma plume, in terms of plate movement, that forms the main Galapagos Islands and does not fit in with the formation of those islands. There are currently two theories on the formation of the lineament and therefore Wolf island: the first is that magma rising from the mantle plume forming the main Galapagos Islands has been channelled towards the Galapagos Spreading Center; alternatively there has been a separate rise in magma caused by stress in the ocean lithosphere by a transform fault. .
Wolf Island is the southerly island on the lineament. The volcano that formed Wolf Island is now extinct with last eruptions believed to have been 900,000–1,600,000 years ago , meaning the last eruptions occurred before the last eruptions on Darwin Island. The volcanic history of Wolf is complex, with at least two major eruptive phases. The southern area of the island is formed from flat basalt layers from two eruptive phases, the second of which formed a caldera that has now eroded. The lavas formed have been plagioclase
ultraphyric basalts with large 4 cm crystals. This chemical makeup is similar to those found in lavas from the northern Galapagos Islands. The extent of the ultraphyric flows make up an unusually large percentage of the volume. There is large variation in the composition of the lavas between eruptive phases, with later flows being depleted.
, Galapagos
and occasionally Whale sharks, as well as Green Turtles, Manta Ray
s and other pelagic fish
.
Birdlife on the island is abundant with Frigate; Red-footed booby
s and the Vampire Finch
are found on the island as well as other species.
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
and was named after the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
Theodor Wolf
Theodor Wolf
Theodor Wolf was a German naturalist who studied the Galápagos Islands during the late nineteenth century. Wolf Island is named after him. The wolf volcano on Isabela Island was also named after him...
, who also has the volcano Wolf on Isabela Island named after him. It has an area of 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) and a maximum altitude of 253 m (830 ft).
The island is remote from the main island group and has no permanent population, the Galapagos National Park does not allow landing on the island, however it is a popular diving location. It was previously called Wenman Island.
Geology
Wolf Island is the remains of an extinct volcano that reaches a maximum 253 meters above sea level, it is situated north west of the main Galapagos Island group on the Wolf-Darwin Lineament that extends from the Galapagos Platform to the Galapagos Spreading Center, a mid ocean ridge separating the NazcaNazca Plate
]The Nazca Plate, named after the Nazca region of southern Peru, is an oceanic tectonic plate in the eastern Pacific Ocean basin off the west coast of South America. The ongoing subduction along the Peru-Chile Trench of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate is largely responsible for the...
and Cocos
Cocos Plate
The Cocos Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Central America, named for Cocos Island, which rides upon it.-Geology:...
tectonic plates. Like its near neighbour Darwin Island
Darwin Island
Darwin Island is named in honor of Charles Darwin, and is among the smallest in the Galapagos Archipelago with an area of just one square kilometer. With no dry landing sites, Darwin Island's main attractions are found in the Pacific Ocean, which is teeming with a spectacular variety of marine life...
, Wolf Island is upstream of the magma plume, in terms of plate movement, that forms the main Galapagos Islands and does not fit in with the formation of those islands. There are currently two theories on the formation of the lineament and therefore Wolf island: the first is that magma rising from the mantle plume forming the main Galapagos Islands has been channelled towards the Galapagos Spreading Center; alternatively there has been a separate rise in magma caused by stress in the ocean lithosphere by a transform fault. .
Wolf Island is the southerly island on the lineament. The volcano that formed Wolf Island is now extinct with last eruptions believed to have been 900,000–1,600,000 years ago , meaning the last eruptions occurred before the last eruptions on Darwin Island. The volcanic history of Wolf is complex, with at least two major eruptive phases. The southern area of the island is formed from flat basalt layers from two eruptive phases, the second of which formed a caldera that has now eroded. The lavas formed have been plagioclase
Plagioclase
Plagioclase is an important series of tectosilicate minerals within the feldspar family. Rather than referring to a particular mineral with a specific chemical composition, plagioclase is a solid solution series, more properly known as the plagioclase feldspar series...
ultraphyric basalts with large 4 cm crystals. This chemical makeup is similar to those found in lavas from the northern Galapagos Islands. The extent of the ultraphyric flows make up an unusually large percentage of the volume. There is large variation in the composition of the lavas between eruptive phases, with later flows being depleted.
Wildlife
Wolf Island is part of the Galapagos National Park, however, it is not accessible to land visits. Like its neighbour, Darwin, it is open to visits by scuba divers. The marine life of Wolf Island includes: schooling HammerheadHammerhead shark
The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks in the family Sphyrnidae, so named for the unusual and distinctive structure of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a "hammer" shape called a "cephalofoil". Most hammerhead species are placed in the genus Sphyrna while the...
, Galapagos
Galapagos shark
The Galapagos shark is a species of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae, found worldwide. This species favors clear reef environments around oceanic islands, where it is often the most abundant shark species...
and occasionally Whale sharks, as well as Green Turtles, Manta Ray
Manta ray
The manta ray is the largest species of the rays. The largest known specimen was more than across, with a weight of about . It ranges throughout waters of the world, typically around coral reefs...
s and other pelagic fish
Pelagic fish
Pelagic fish live near the surface or in the water column of coastal, ocean and lake waters, but not on the bottom of the sea or the lake. They can be contrasted with demersal fish, which do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish which are associated with coral reefs.The marine pelagic...
.
Birdlife on the island is abundant with Frigate; Red-footed booby
Red-footed Booby
The Red-footed Booby, Sula sula, is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. As suggested by the name, adults always have red feet, but the colour of the plumage varies. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings...
s and the Vampire Finch
Vampire Finch
The Vampire Finch is a small bird native to the Galápagos Islands. It is a very distinct subspecies of the Sharp-beaked Ground Finch endemic to Wolf and Darwin Islands....
are found on the island as well as other species.